mischief with dara

I’ve known Dara since I was four and the new kid at school, still tripping up on english words and disgusted by vegemite. She was all fun and freckles, with a big front fringe and an even bigger smile. Ridiculously bright. A beast at sports and music. We’ve never lived more than a ten minute drive apart and would disappear for hours into our own worlds after school, playing with toy unicorns and inventing stories… begging parents for sleepovers when it was time to go home, and then begging for just one more hour when it was time to sleep.

We still live the same distance from each other and yet we don’t see each other as often anymore – you grow up, your worlds shift a little, and nobody really cares what time you go to sleep. Especially in Dara’s case. It’s mental sometimes to see that same little kid – same same but different – now inviting thousands of strangers each night into a pulsing, dancing, screaming world of magic.

In any case, when her world takes the occasional deep breath and we find time to hang out, I’m pretty content just making idiotic jokes whilst she scoops peanut butter out the jar and we enjoy being four years old again.

It’s funny because we always used to complain when my parents would take us camping instead of going to the Gold Coast or whatever. But looking back, they’re the best memories. Sitting down at night cooking pasta in a billy over the campfire whilst it’s snowing outside in the Snowy Mountains… I think those memories are my fondest because I was with my family and in nature. For me that’s kind of a highlight.

Then just really simple things I think stand out to me. BBQs in our backyard, swimming in the pool. I had this green boogie board – you know how you remember the most stupid things? The feeling of it. It was like this rubbery almost fake grass feeling and it would come off on your skin so you’d have all this green prickly weird shit on your skin.

What is your biggest struggle right now?

I think for me right now my biggest struggle is finding a balance for life. I suppose it’s a constant struggle for a lot of people. I’m at uni full time, and that’s a killer because my schedule is crazy. With shows as well, I’m constantly travelling. Whether it be inter-state or overseas. I struggle to find time for myself to chill out and spend time with my friends and family, because as much as my job is fun, it’s also really hard work. So, finding time for Dara is quite difficult.

I’m really looking forward to November when uni’s over because I want to learn French, start meditating more, just doing things that are good for my soul which I always think I don’t have enough time for. Things that are outdoors and in nature or to do with art, culture, reading, learning. Things that are fulfilling, that make you feel like you’re actually learning something or contributing something. Not just sitting there watching TV or reading shitty magazines. I don’t read books at the moment, I don’t have time. Or I say I don’t have time. Heck, I always said I wanted to write a book even. Because as much as this party, club lifestyle is fun, it’s not something that makes you feel like you’re making a difference. I think I’ve realised that recently – I need to do things that are more fulfilling on a broader perspective, for you as a human and for the community around you. I want to broaden my horizons. Climb Mt Everest? …. Actually, no. Hahaha!

What is something people might not know about you?

There are plenty of misconceptions. People are very fast to label what they think you are or how they perceive you to be as a result of what you put out on social media. Which is fair enough. I probably make those judgments on other people as well. Commonly, people say – party girl, bimbo, dumb, can’t DJ… but actually I come from a nerdy, sporty family. And that’s what I am. I’m a nerd who likes to stay to myself. I think people think I’m just all about partying and how I look, but I feel it’s quite the opposite, actually. If I could go out and just do what I did every day with no makeup and no blue hair, that’d be still great. It just scares me how easily you can be seen as this… thing that’s not actually human.

I also stress and worry about EVERYTHING. It’s funny though because I put on a façade of being cool, calm and collected all the time.

Any major goal for the future?

I want to make a really greatly positive life-changing impact on a large group of people, even potentially in a small way, but at least a positive impact for them. I’m not exactly sure what that would be, but I want to give my time and my knowledge and my strength and whatever I can to somehow help a group of people who are less fortunate than I am. I would love to establish a charity for people – maybe young kids who suffer from something out of their control, whether it be a mental illness like depression or kids who are geographically or socio-economically disadvantaged, whether it be in Australia or in another part of the world.

So, set up a really cool foundation or charity and make a really positive impact, not just from a “oh, I’m just playing music” perspective, but from an actual “I’m making a house for you” or “I’m educating you” or “I’m feeding you” perspective.

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4 responses to “mischief with dara”

Awesome interview and pictures of dj tiger lily (dara) she may not know it but she is changing lives in a positive way. She is very inspirational with what she is doing and the awesome music she plays. Keep up the awesome work dara and dont let the steriotypes get to you cause you are who you are and nothing else matters.

This is an amazing interview. In the last year I have become a huge fan of DJ tigerlily but getting to see who she really is through this interview it’s so special to me. I never though she was a bimbo or dumb or self centered since her social media is always quirky and different, I love her style. I hope she reaches all of her life goals Dara seems like an amazing person who I hope to one day meet in person! P.S I love the American flag pics